2009 Mini and 2010 Mini

Other than the physical size and the HDMI port are there any major differences between the 2009 2.0Ghz Mini I have and say the newest 2.66 Ghz both with 4GB of ram. I am trying to determine if it would be wise for me just to order a new one with the 2.66 CPU as I would like to have something a little quicker. I guess the major difference would be the GPU being much quicker on the 2010 then on my 2009.

Staff Member

Depends what you do with it. The CPU is not a bottleneck in most things today so if you're just a basic user, maybe you should consider adding an SSD as that speeds things up more than any CPU in the world does.

I would hold off on a purchase. The current Minis are about halfway through their current product cycle, and will likely include an upgrade to the Intel Core i3 series in their next refresh. Intel and nVidia had a falling out and nVidia is no longer allowed to make chipsets for Intel CPUs, which means no more onboard nVidia GPUs in Macs. That is why the current Minis and current low-end MacBooks have Core 2 Duos w/ nVidia graphics, rather than Core iXs with better graphics. It is extremely likely that the next lineup will include the updated CPUs, which would be worth waiting for rather than upgrading now for 660 MHz of CPU speed and a little better GPU. I would highly recommend waiting it out and getting the next model. Hyper-threading and/or Turbo Boost are worth waiting for imo. Roughly 66 days left in the product cycle (average).

I would hold off on a purchase. The current Minis are about halfway through their current product cycle, and will likely include an upgrade to the Intel Core i3 series in their next refresh. Intel and nVidia had a falling out and nVidia is no longer allowed to make chipsets for Intel CPUs, which means no more onboard nVidia GPUs in Macs. That is why the current Minis and current low-end MacBooks have Core 2 Duos w/ nVidia graphics, rather than Core iXs with better graphics. It is extremely likely that the next lineup will include the updated CPUs, which would be worth waiting for rather than upgrading now for 660 MHz of CPU speed and a little better GPU. I would highly recommend waiting it out and getting the next model. Hyper-threading and/or Turbo Boost are worth waiting for imo. Roughly 66 days left in the product cycle (average).

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That being said, what is being said about what Apple will do, I mean they have a lot invested in using Intel chips and they have been on a ramp up of nVidia GPU's for all their MB and lower end units?

Well if you look at any Apple product still around with a Core 2 Duo, it still has an nVidia card. If you look at any current Apple product w/ a Core iX CPU, it has an ATI card. Chances are the next lineup will have a Core i3 coupled with Intel HD graphics that switch w/ an AMD card for power savings when you don't need the extra umph. I find it unlikely that they will bring out any more product lines with the outdated C2D CPUs.

I would hold off on a purchase. The current Minis are about halfway through their current product cycle, and will likely include an upgrade to the Intel Core i3 series in their next refresh. Intel and nVidia had a falling out and nVidia is no longer allowed to make chipsets for Intel CPUs, which means no more onboard nVidia GPUs in Macs. That is why the current Minis and current low-end MacBooks have Core 2 Duos w/ nVidia graphics, rather than Core iXs with better graphics. It is extremely likely that the next lineup will include the updated CPUs, which would be worth waiting for rather than upgrading now for 660 MHz of CPU speed and a little better GPU. I would highly recommend waiting it out and getting the next model. Hyper-threading and/or Turbo Boost are worth waiting for imo. Roughly 66 days left in the product cycle (average).

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+1 (only if you can hold off).

I would wait until the mini is updated with the i3 processor. The 13's biggest benefit is that it supports hyper-threading, which makes it much more efficient for a given GHz.

Other than the physical size and the HDMI port are there any major differences between the 2009 2.0Ghz Mini I have and say the newest 2.66 Ghz both with 4GB of ram. I am trying to determine if it would be wise for me just to order a new one with the 2.66 CPU as I would like to have something a little quicker. I guess the major difference would be the GPU being much quicker on the 2010 then on my 2009.

Anyone had both, can you say there is a huge difference?

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I OWNED a 2.66ghz 2010 with 8 gb ram. sold it and purchased a 2.66ghz 2009 with 4gb ram bumped it back to 8gb ram. if you must buy this month go for a 2009 refurb 2.66. I really would wait for a 2011 mini upgrade if i were you.

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